Chorizo stuffed meatloaf

Meatloaf can be so boring, and often times it’s that go to staple when you don’t have anything else to make. This meatloaf recipe will change your opinion about meatloaf and will make you realize how much you can do with these recipes! Next time you think of making some meatloaf put something different in! You will be surprised with what you come up with!

I wanted to make a sweet and spicy meatloaf, the chorizo, jalapenos, and sweet chili sauce are so good together! If you aren’t a fan of spicy, you can certainly leave out the jalapenos.

To get started preheat your oven to 350°. Take a large mixing bowl and add your pork, beef, spices, onion, pepper, garlic, eggs, cream, and bread crumbs. I mix with my hands but that’s a personal preference. Make sure you mix well, but try not to over mix. Take half of the mixture and place on the bottom of a loaf pan and press down evenly. Take your chorizo and remove the casing carefully, to keep mold intact. Lay the chorizo down in the middle. Take the other half and place on top being sure to press down on the outsides to mold together into one loaf.

Once this is done place in the oven for 60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°. Baste the top with the pan juices and chili sauce every 15 minutes or so. Place the jalapeno slices on top for the last 15-20 minutes. Once it is done baking, let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

What you’ll need:

1/2 lb ground pork
1lb ground beef
1/2 minced onion
1/2-1 (depending on how much you like) green bell pepper minced with seeds removed 
1 clove garlic minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4-1 cup plain bread crumbs (add more if needed)
1 tsp each of cajun, cayanne, cumin, chili, salt & pepper seasoning (add more if needed)
1 Chorizo link, casings removed
slices of jalapenos 
sweet chili sauce for basting and dipping

Carne Asada Burritos

I sort of have this obsession with the Whole Foods by our house. I’ve been to many organic grocery stores, but this one is like a mecca for organic food shoppers! It has everything and anything you need and with multiple options! My personal favorite is their ready made seafood soups, all from local Florida seafood markets and fisheries!

I wanted something quick to make for after work, so I bought some pre-marinated carne asada. I also like corn and black beans so I found some frozen rice with black beans and corn. And of course you need some cheese and I happen to love goat cheese on my tacos so I bought some that was on sale, you know it’s good when it just falls apart at the slightest touch! If you’ve never had goat cheese, it has a very tart taste to it and is very soft, like butter. I use it on what I call “fancy” tacos, with really good meat such as carne asada or steak. But feel free to use anything you like!

To get started, take a small grill pan and coat with PAM or non stick spray. Turn the heat onto medium high and wait for the grill to get hot. Once it’s hot enough, grill the carne asada 5 minutes on each side for a total of 10-12 minutes total (unless you don’t like your meat pink in the middle) for medium rare I grilled mine for 10 minutes. You want to be careful to not turn the meat too often for it will lose it’s flavor and tenderness.

While the meat is cooking, place your rice bag in the microwave and cook according to directions. Let sit for a few minutes to steam. I mixed my salsa in with the rice to give it some moisture and flavor. Heat your tortillas for about 5 seconds on each side to get them soft and warm (You can also place them in the oven on 350 wrapped in foil).

All there’s left to do now is assemble! Tortilla, meat, rice mixture, and top it off with goat cheese crumbles. And voila!! You have an amazing burrito in 15 minutes! Not to mention it’s very healthy for you, whole grain tortillas, beans, corn, lean meat, all organic… what a healthier way to make a burrito!

What you’ll need:

• Whole grain tortillas
• Carne Asada or some type of lean, tender meat
• Frozen bag of rice mix with black beans and corn
• Your favorite Salsa
• Goat cheese crumbles

Vietnamese Pho with Beef

I love Asian cuisine! RJ has been gone all week, and I have been going Asian fusion crazy. He’s not a big Asian food fan, so this explains my serious excitement. I was in the mood for soup, so I found this yummy recipe on the food network website, they never do me wrong! This soup is very easy to make! I could only find the thin rice noodles at the store, so next time I hope to have the thicker noodles for this dish. Beef is definitely the best pick for this soup.

Prepare the rice noodles per package directions.

Place a large pot over high heat, I used my cast iron covered braiser (Giada DeLaurentiis style) . Poke the meat all over with a fork to tenderize it and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a little drizzle of vegetable oil and sear the meat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.

Add the onion and ginger to the pot and cook about 4 minutes. Add the broth, 3 cups water, the star anise and cinnamon stick, reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the scallions and jalapenos (remove seeds if you want less heat) and tear the cilantro. Thinly slice the meat against the grain, keep aside. Drain the noodles, once drained keep in cold water until you use in the soup.

Add the fish sauce to the broth and boil 5 minutes. Add your mushrooms and jalapenos (this was something extra I thought would be perfect with the soup!) Throw out the ginger, star anise and cinnamon stick. Remove and slice the onion. Divide the noodles among your serving bowls; top with the broth, beef, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts and onion.

Simple as that! And soo soo good. I even think my husband would like it!

What you’ll need:

• 8 ounces rice noodles (you will find this in the international Asian aisle)
• 12 ounces lean beef sirloin, fat trimmed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large onion, halved
• 1 4-inch piece ginger, unpeeled, halved
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 5 star anise pods (you will find these in the international aisle with the packages of dried seasonings)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 scallions
• 2 jalapeno peppers, preferably red and green
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce (you will find this in the international Asian aisle)
• 1 cup fresh been sprouts

Italian Meatball Sliders

Football time is here! This calls for some hearty warm soups, cheesy fattening dips, and yummy appetizers! I made these sliders for a perfect addition on a Sunday filled with football. Messy, cheesy goodness that you eat with your hands, nothing gets any better! I basically took a favorite meatball recipe and added a cube of fresh mozz in the middle. Made the meatballs super large and turned them into sliders! I was able to use my favorite sauce, LaRosas! This meal is super easy to make, and for a lighter finish serve with an italian salad with some feta cheese, tomatoes, and italian dressing.

To get started preheat your oven to 400°. Take a large bowl and combine the onion, seasonings, Worcestershire, egg, parsley, ketchup,  and bread crumbs. Mix together well (i like to use my hands, washed of course!) and form into large fist sized meatballs. Once formed, take a cube of mozz and place in the middle, then form the meat around the cheese placing the cheese in the center. Repeat this until all of your meatballs are formed. Take a  baking sheet and place parchment paper on top. Place the meatballs on the parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned on the outside and cheese is melting out.

While the meatballs are baking, place your favorite sauce in a saucepan and heat on med-low. Prevent boiling because it will make a mess! Stir occasionally. Take your slider buns and brush with some olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder and parsley flakes on both sides. At the last 5 minutes of baking place the buns in the oven to toast them.

Assembly is super easy! Take your bun, add your meatball, top with sauce, then a slice of mozz, then a piece of basil and top with the other side of the bun! And it’s that easy, and sooo good! You’re going to need a whole lot of napkins with this meal! But I find that the messiest  sandwiches are always the yummiest! So next football game, sit back, relax, grab a beer and chow down!

What you’ll need:

1 small (6-ounce) onion, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2/3 cup grated Parmensean cheese
1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
16 ounces ground beef
2 ounces smoked mozzerella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes
slider buns
your favorite spaghetti sauce
basil leaves

(*beer and football is optional)

Pimento Cheese Burgers with Fried Green Tomatoes

So one of the many gifts we received for our wedding was a burger press. You place part of the meat on one side and whatever you want to put in the middle, then the another part of the meat on the other side, press and voila!! It’s truly a must-have kitchen staple. It’s available at Williams Sonoma and you could also probably find something similar at Bed Bath and Beyond.

But seriously… go get it!

Heat up your grill (or have your husband do it like me  ) To get started, take your meat and combine the worcestershire and seasonings in a bowl. Take your meat press, and place a portion of the meat on one side of the press then take the same amount and press on the other side of the press. Take a spoonful of pimento cheese and place in the middle of one side. Then press the two sides together and slide the burger out. If you don’t have a burger press, make a patty with your hands, then add the pimento cheese on top of the burger once it’s cooked.

When the grill is ready place your burgers on the grill and cook to desired wellness.

While the burgers are on the grill, take your green tomatoes and cut thick slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Take a baggie and mix the flours and seasonings. Place a tomato slice and close the baggie, mix well to coat all sides. Repeat until all of the slices are done. Take a skillet with olive oil and turn on med-high heat. Take your tomatoes and cook on the skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 5-10 minutes. Spray with additional olive oil in between batches.

Take your toasted bun and place your lettuce, then burger, then fried green tomatoes. If you don’t have the burger press, add your cheese in between the burger and tomatoes. For a healthier dish, serve with a side salad.

One of the best burgers I’ve had!! The pimento cheese and the fried green tomatoes go perfectly together!! And you don’t need any condiments!

These Southern style burgers will not disappoint!

What you’ll need:
For the burgers:
4 burger buns
4 burger patties, about 1/3 lb each
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp each of garlic salt, dried minced onion, and cajun
salt and pepper
a spoonful of pimento cheese with jalapenos for each burger
a burger press, if available.
For the fried green tomatoes:
1-2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 in thick
2 tbsp flour
2tbsp cornmeal
salt and pepper
olive oil

Flank Steak with Herb Chimichurri & Tomato Galette

So you’re thinking..”What’s a Galette??”

I have no idea, but the picture looked good, so I made it! And let me tell you, it was better than good, more like amazing! But because I am curious too: Per Wikipedia: Galette is a term used in the French Cuisine to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes.

This particular galette is made with cornmeal, giving it a buttery cornbread-like taste. Add the tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil and you’ve got yourself a tasty side dish! I went with flank steak because my husband loves steak and I thought I could bargain with him, he tries my galette and I make him steak! I think it turned out pretty well!

I started with the galette because you have to chill the dough for 30 minutes, then bake it. First bring out your food processor and add the flour, cornmeal, butter, and salt. Then, process until it resembles coarse meal. Slowly add the ice water until just combined, do not let it turn into a ball. Take out and gently press into a 4 inch circle onto a plastic wrap, cover and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 

Next preheat your oven to 425°. After chilling, take the dough out and cover a rolling pin with flour, as well as your flat surface. Then take the dough and place it over the flour to prevent from sticking. Roll the pin until about 13 in or so circle and about an inch to 1/2 inch in thickness.

Carefully place the dough on parchment paper and place the tomatoes evenly cut side up, on the dough leaving a 1-1/2 in border. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently fold the edges of the border over top of the tomatoes and place in the oven on a baking sheet for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese and place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with basil leaves.

The original recipe called for feta, but I love goat cheese, and I thought it would taste better with tomatoes and steak! You know I’ll always have to add my own little touches

This flank steak is so easy to make! Just rub with spices and slap on the grill pan! For a medium rare steak, it grills for 4 minutes on each side. But before you grill, go ahead and make your chimichurri sauce. I received this mortar hand made from Afghanistan, a gift from RJ’s dad when he went overseas to serve our country, such a cool gift!! Roughly chop your parsley, rosemary, and garlic. Add your salt and garlic to the mortar. Grind and mash for a few minutes until you start to make a paste. Add your herbs and mash for a minute or two. Lastly, add your lemon juice, pepper, and olive oil. Mash and grind for another minute, or until desired consistency. You will need to taste to make sure it is what you like, you may need to add more seasoning or juice. This is supposed to taste very strong by itself, but with the steak it tastes great!

Take your steak and combine all of your spices in a bowl, brush the steak with olive oil, then rub spices on both sides of the steak. Turn on your burner to medium-high and do not place the steak on the grill pan until it’s hot. Coat with cooking spray, then grill 4 minutes on each side.

Let stand for 5 minutes to let the juices marinate the steak. You’ll want to cut thin diagonally along the grain of the steak. Serve with the chimichurri sauce (I added goat cheese as well!) and galette.

What you’ll need:
For the Galette:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 1/2 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 tsp salt, divided
3 tbsp ice water
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
Ground black pepper
Herb flavored goat cheese (I use Chevre)
Small basil leaves
For the Chimichurri:
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, stem removed, coarsely chopped
Juice of half a lemon, or more to taste
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper, ground
Goat cheese over top, on steak, if desired
For the Flank Steak
1-1 1/2 lbs flank steak
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chipotle
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Ground black pepper and salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Cooking spray 

Some of these recipes are adapted from Cooking Light.

Southwest Burgers

I hardly ever eat burgers. But every once in a while I will get a craving for one. They are undoubtedly the picture of American food. And the best part is, there are endless options to make them! Burgers are too boring to me when they have meet, cheese, and a bun. You can make California burgers with avocado and bacon, or Mexican burgers with Nacho cheese, salsa, and sour cream! So many options, and so much creativity! My favorite thing about cooking is that it gives everyone an opportunity to be creative and explore the amazing quality of flavors!

Our grill wasn’t working too well at this time, it was small and old and left at our house when we moved in. So with the help of my sister, we ended up making these tasty burgers on the skillet! And you wouldn’t have known the difference!

To start, take a small bowl and make the corn relish. I added a few extras to mine from the recipe I found, and it added the best flavor! If you have a grill, I suggest grilling corn on the cob and then cutting the corn off for this relish. Since we didn’t have one, I turned the oven on 425 and placed the corn and chopped bell pepper on a baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Take it out every 15 minutes and stir on the sheet until the corn and pepper are fully roasted. Mix the corn, chopped bell pepper, and red onions with the juice of one lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I also added a few dashes of red wine vinegar, chopped cilantro and chopped tomato. Mix lightly and set aside.

Next make your ground beef patties! In a medium bowl, mix your ground beef, garlic salt, pepper, onion powder, cajun seasoning, and cumin. Handle into patty shapes, generally about 1 inch in thickness. Place in the skillet or on the grill. If using a skillet, place on medium high. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Same goes for the grill. This will be for a medium well burger, just a little pink in the middle is what it should look like when it’s done cooking. Make sure not to press down on the burgers while cooking because the burger will dry out very easily and all of the juices and flavors will go into the skillet or on the bottom of the grill and it will lose its flavors.

While your burgers are cooking, make the sauce. Take a small bowl and add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and minced chipotles. Take out your buns and brush the inside with either butter or olive oil. Place on the grill for a few minutes, or in the already preheated oven on a baking sheet.

When your burgers are done, assemble!! Serve on buns with chipotle mayo, and corn salsa!

What you’ll need:

Corn salsa:
Cup of roasted/grilled corn
Cup of roasted/grilled chopped red bell pepper
Chopped tomato (about half of one)
Chopped red onion (about 1/4 of one)
Chopped Cilantro
Juice of one lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
2 Dashes red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Burger meat:
1 1/2-2 lbs ground beef
A few dashes each of:
Onion powder
Garlic salt
Cajun seasoning
Cumin
Pepper

Chipotle Mayo:
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 tbsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce
Juice of one lemon

Burger buns of your liking!

Steak Involtini with Green Beans & Bruschetta

This recipe was found in my favorite recipe book Giada at Home from my favorite chef on Food Network Giada De Laurentiis. She explains that most Italian cuisines, especially from Tuscany, don’t just cook steak by itself they usually tenderize it and braise it with a tomato sauce. This type of meat is called a London Broil. I shopped at the Fresh Market (my favorite grocery store!) and the butcher there was kind enough to give me cuts of the London Broil that were already pounded (tenderized) and were the perfect size! Pounding the meat is a great way to tenderize the beef, it adds lots of flavor and is much cheaper!

I thought bruschetta and fresh green beans would be a perfect accompaniment to this meal. We were not disappointed! If you would like to see the green bean recipe, click here. 

I bought freshly baked baguettes at Fresh Market, all I had to do was take it home and bake it!! It tasted SO fresh and was the best bread I have had in a long time! I  also bought tomato and herb spread for the top of my baguettes and I couldn’t have been happier!! Next time however, I am going to make it all fresh!

Now let’s get started with the star of this post, the Steak Involtini! If you weren’t able to buy the London Broil already cut and tenderized, what you want to do is cut them in half crosswise and place on a flat work surface. Take a meat pounder/tenderizer and pound the meat until it’s thin evenly.

Take a small bowl and combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of parmesan. Set aside. Take a large bowl and mix the remaining 3/4 cup of parmesan, mozzerella, 1/4 cup of olive oil, basil, and garlic to make the filling. Season with salt and pepper.  Evenly spread the filling in the middle of each steak, roll up the steaks and secure them with skewers. I put two in mine because it felt to flimsy with just one.

In a medium sized skillet, add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium heat. Coat the steaks with the bread crumb mixture. Place on the skillet for 6-8 minutes turning once halfway through until browned on all sides.

Add marinara sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, taking a wooden spoon and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked medium well, turning occasionally.

Take the steaks off the skewers and slice into rolls. Place over top of the marinara sauce and serve!! You won’t be disappointed

Now, get a glass of red wine (I prefer sweet red!) and enjoy this little taste of Italy! You will be sure to impress whoever you cook this for!

What you’ll need:
1 cup Italian dried bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
3/4 cup freshly shredded mozzerella
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (8oz) London Broil steak, trimmed and pounded 1/8 in thick
1 (26oz) jar of your favorite marinara sauce
4 skewers (may need two per steak)

for the bruschetta:
two loaves of freshly prepared, take home bake, baguettes
1 jar of tomato herb spread
basil for presentation and flavor

Better Than Takeout Asian Beef Strips

If you know anything about me and my favorite foods, you can guess that I love this recipe! It took some convincing on RJ’s part to let me make this (he is not a big Asian food fan) but the second he learned it was beef, he agreed to try it! I was pretty excited when I read the ingredients because it contains many things I already have in my kitchen. The only things I needed to buy were the basmati rice and steak! I also added some veggies to this dish, julienned carrots, onion, and broccoli. I think next time I will also add water chestnuts and baby corn! The one thing I love about Asian food is that there are so many different ingredients you can add and subtract to make your own unique meal! Never hesitate to try something you think will be good, because in most cases you will impress yourself with your creativity.

A little bit about Basmati rice if you haven’t heard of it before or have never cooked it before. It is grown mostly in India and is known by its fragrance. It has a light and almost sweet smelling aroma, it tastes very fresh. It’s not sticky like many other varieties of rice that you might cook. I believe it goes very well with this dish!

To start, you will want to whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes. I took the liberty of also adding some Chinese five spice into the mix. (I used about a tsp). Whisk until well blended, and taste to make sure it is to your liking, I ended up adding a little more honey than the recipe called to mine.

Take your flank steak, rinse with cool water, and cut into long strips about the length of your first finger (or about 1/4in slices). Now take the cut strips and place in the sauce, coat. Cover well or place in a freezer bag and refrigerate for 2 or more hours to marinate.

Take your veggies and rinse them off. Peel the carrots and julienne into strips. Cut your broccoli into “trees”. Dice your onion.

Your rice will take the longest to cook, so begin following your package directions. Mine took about 20-25 minutes to cook. Once cooked, place in a strainer and rinse with warm water. Your rice should not come out of the wholes in the strainer because it has stuck together and thickened.

While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a wok or large skillet on medium high heat, swirl to coat the skillet all around. Take the meat and separate it from the marinate. Add the cornstarch to the marinate and whisk until well blended. Stir-fry the meat and veggies for 5 minutes, add the marinate and cook until thickened with a lid over top (this will help steam the veggies to make them soft).

Once cooked, take off the heat. Add the rice to your bowl, then the meat and veggies on top, take a spoon and poor the sauce over top. Serve.

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp minced orange zest
1 tbsp minced fresh peeled ginger
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 lbs flank steak (you may not see it at the store under this name, I found mine under the name “London Broil” and it will should say center cut, it is the same type of meat)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp canola oil (you can also use vegetable oil)
1 tbsp sesame oil
3-4 cups of basmati rice